Tears of love
by RealFiction
Summary: "It won't be us, Harper. Not us." The 5th Annual Hunger Games throught the eyes of the twins Gresham and Harper from district 9.
1. Sweet simple life

"_This is the place where I don't feel alone. This is the place where I feel at home."_

_To build a home- Cinematic orchestra_

**Sunday 15****th**** June, two weeks before the Reaping, the year of the 5****th**** Hunger Games**

**Gresham's POV**

I wake up by the sound of singing birds. It has to be 8 o'clock or maybe half past 8. My sister Harper sleeps in the bed on the opposite side of our small room. That's strange normally I am the one who sleeps longer. By the time I wake up she is usually outside taking a long walk. I try to get out of my bed as quiet as possible trying not to wake her. I put on my brown trousers and a beige t-shirt and leave the room. I make my way to the bathroom. I split some water into my face and look at the small mirror. My dirty blond hair is a mess as always and longer than my mother would like it to be. My light brown eyes seem tired even though I've slept all night. I actually look like a pretty normal 15-year old boy. I walk past my parents' room. They still sleep. Last night I didn't hear them coming home I suppose they came back from work after midnight. I enter the kitchen in the hope to find something good for breakfast. On the table there is a note and a few coins next to it.

"_I'm in the fields again today I had to leave very early this morning, I'm sorry. I hope to come back for dinner this evening, if not you can eat without me. This money is for food, there isn't any bread left. Dad"_

I sigh. So Harper and I'll have another day on our own. My mother will also go to work today I suppose. Not that I blame them for working the whole day. After all they make sure we don't have to starve like many kids in district 9 have to. I take the money and walk outside on the veranda of our house. The sun shines already but it there's also a little breeze. The fields are large here. Our district is responsible for the grain of the whole country. But I make my way to the opposite side of the district. I make my way to the center. I find myself greeting many neighbors and friends. In front of the Justice building we have a large market place. There you can buy vegetables and fruits, as long as you have enough money. I walk past the market to the bakery. I buy some bread from one of the 4 bakeries in our district and some cookies for Harper. She just loves them. I walk back home.

By the time I arrive I'm already very hungry. My sister is waiting for me. "Gresh, where have you been, again?" she asks me with a big smile on her face. "You scared me to death!" I laugh "Why? Can't your twin brother wake up one single time before you?" She looks me in the eyes. "What have you bought?" I open the bag and take out the cookies. "Look what your good brother brought you!" I say. "Oh, Gresh! I told you not to buy them! Dad is going to be angry!" she says a little desperately. I become a little angry. "Dad wouldn't notice if we pack out things and leave! He would notice if one of us is reaped hours after we leave the district. No Harper. I don't care if our father is angry because I bought the cookies his daughter loves." "This isn't the point Gresh! You know perfectly well why our parents have to work so much. And instead of being thankful you're wasting the money they earn!" she says angrily. "You know what? I bought the cookies for you, not for me!" "I know. I'm sorry. Now let's just go for a walk and eat." She says very calmly. She touches my neck trying to calm me down. I smile again. Everything is fine. It's been always like that before reaping. But let's not think about it.

Our house is in the outskirts of the district. We walk silently about 10 minutes until we reach the fields. They are unbelievable large. And quiet. We walk past the workers and go straight to our "secret" place. It's a big stone that is placed at the end of the fields almost near the fence. Our fence is only symbolic, everyone could cross it, but they all know there'll be a punishment if the government finds out.

There are a few clouds in the sky and there is a weak wind rushing through our hair. I lie on the dirty floor, Harper sits next to me. We start eating without saying a thing. We don't need to. My sister and I we know each other for so long that we don't have to talk to understand each other's needs. And right now we only need each other.


	2. Torn apart

"_Now we're torn, torn, torn apart, there's nothing we can do, just let me go, we'll meet again soon."_

_Little Talks- Of Monsters and Men_

**Monday 30th June Reaping Day, the year of the 5th Hunger Games**

**Gresham's POV**

It's about 2 o'clock in the morning. I still can't fall asleep, but I suppose I'm not the only one. My sister slowly and very silently stands up and walks towards my bed.

"Harper?" I whisper. She looks straight to me and asks me "You also can't fall asleep?" I shake my head slowly. She sits on my bed right next to me. "Gresh, what if… what if one of us gets reaped? Or what if both of us get reaped?" she asks me scared. I almost can hear her heart beat faster and faster by the thought. "We won't get reaped sis. But if you get reaped I'll go with you and protect you. I promise." I whisper.

"And what if you get reaped, Gresh?" her body is shaking while she says it.

"I won't. Don't think about it." I say.

"Who do you think will… have to go this year?" She asks me full of tears. I put my arm around her and hold her. I whisper "It won't be us, Harper. It won't be us. It will be someone we don't know. An 18-year-old maybe. Not us." I don't believe it but I say it. It's better for us both to think that way. Because District 9 never had a victor before. "You remember our first reaping, Gresh?" "Of course I remember our first Reaping. We were both so scared that we would be reaped but we weren't." I say calmly.

"It's just… all those kids who went in there never returned." Harper whispers although I have the feeling she isn't saying it to me but to herself. "There are many, many other kids in our district; it won't be us, Harper." "I hope you're right." She says tired. I can see her slowly going to her bed and lying there. About half an hour later I can feel she's fallen asleep. But I can't. I lay there with my eyes wide open and think about what could really happen if someone of us gets reaped.

At about 7 o'clock Harper wakes up and looks at me. "You haven't slept the whole night, have you?" I know it's senseless to lie because she always finds out. "No, I haven't." I say with a little smile.

My mother comes suddenly to our room. She isn't very tall I'm already taller than her and I'm not the hugest guy you've ever seen. I'm at about 5 feet and 6 inches, I'm not sure. My mother always looks very tired. Today she's very nervous. You can't blame her, she might lose both her children today. "I have prepared clothes for you both." She puts a simple white dress on Harpers bed. For me she has prepared white shirt and some black trousers. She walks towards Harper and whispers something in her ear. I decide it's better to leave them alone to let my mother help Harper as always.

I go to the bathroom and dress myself. I look at the mirror and find myself staring at a really pale boy. "You grow so fast" I haven't heard my mother coming in. She walks slowly towards me. "I thought you're helping Harper." "I can't just let my son alone." She says. Oh she can. Me and Harper we are the ones who take care of each other. But I don't say anything.

Harper comes slowly in the bathroom. She smiles towards my mother. She forgives very easy unlike me. She looks very beautiful. Her white dress fits her perfectly. I think it was my mother's but it's still in a very good condition. She let her hair fall free on her shoulders. "You look really pretty, sis." I smile. "You also look well, Gresh." Harper. Always has to say something nice. My mother sobs. She actually cries right now. "Mom… it's ok" Harper starts. "It's just… you two grew much closer than I had expected you to." She dries her tears with her hand. I really want to say something I think. Like "what have you expected then?", but Harper looks at me and shakes her head slowly. Like if she read my thoughts.

My mother walks out of the room and Harper and I go back to our room. There I have to search for some halfway clean socks.

**Four hours later**

**Harper's POV**

It's time. Gresh and I will have to make our way to the reaping whether we want or not. Gresh always acts like he isn't scared and like we shouldn't be scared. But I know that deep inside he's just as nervous and scared as me.

The more we get near the center, the more children I can see. Some of them are really little. We get past the peacekeepers while we sign in. Then Gresh says "See you after the reaping, sis" And goes to the 15-year old-boys section. There he greets some friends and they laugh a little but not like always. It's a nervous laughing. I walk to the girl's section where I silently nod at some girls I know but we don't talk. It's Reaping day after all.

This year we have a new escort. I have no idea what happened to our last one, but I have the bad feeling that this one is going to be as weird as the one before. It's a man who has platinum blond dyed hair. I can tell it's dyed because the man has dark skin. Very weird dressed. And also wears much make-up. Since President Lynch announced the first Hunger Games the districts have much more contact with people from the Capitol than we would like to.

"Welcome, District 9!" , our new escort has the same accent as the one before him. "Welcome!" Everyone is silent. It sounds kind of strange that someone like him welcomes us to our own district. "My name is Julius and I am your new escort." He says it with pride. "Let's start with the movie!" That's the most boring part. We've watched this so-called movie over 15 times at school and on every Reaping so far. And of course on the day President Lynch announced the first Hunger Games.

I remember my mother looking as helpless as never. It was shortly after the war ended. I remember young men coming back from their failed mission. Crying mothers realizing their sons would never come back. Only a few happy screams from children seeing their fathers or older brothers coming home. The whole district was there because everyone had someone fighting against the Capitol. But those are just memories from the last moments before we learned which price we had to pay for the peace.

It's always the same movie in which the President explains us why the Games are so important and necessary for our nation and show terrible pictures from the war.

When the movie finally ends, Julius steps closer and speaks up again.

"So let's go on to the Reaping. I'll start with girls." Some of the girls around me get nervous. Some of the 12-years-olds are sobbing. I try to find Gresh in the crowd of boys but I can't. Julius goes to the left Reaping Ball and picks a name. I close my eyes thinking of Gresh's words. "It won't be us!" Julius again walks to the microphone. Everyone is holding their breath on this moment.

"Keira Galloway!" A sigh of relief from all sides. I'm safe for this year. I finally catch Gresh's eye who is slightly smiling. A tall, dark-haired girl makes her way to the stage. I think she came from the 17-year old section. Poor girl! Although she looks scared she doesn't cry.

She climbs the stage followed by peacekeepers. Julius already has picked our next tribute. I cross my fingers in the hope that Gresh is also safe for this year.

"Gresham Lyric!"


End file.
